Note: this document is now highly dated as Mac OS 10.5 Leopard was released in October 2007.

Mac OS X version 10.4 'Tiger'

Mac OS X version 10.4.x Tiger, announced on April 12, 2005, is the latest version of Apple's UNIX-based desktop operating system. Mac OS X version 10.4 is the fourth significant update to Mac OS X. This version became available in stores on April 29, 2005.

Information Systems & Computing (ISC) will support Mac OS X version 10.4 for its clients, including off-campus students, only on new Macintoshes that ship with Mac OS X version 10.4 pre-installed. ISC strongly recommends that all other users adopt a "wait and see" approach, continuing to use previous versions of the Mac OS (including Mac OS X versions 10.2.8 and 10.3.x) until the initial bugs in Mac OS X version 10.4 are identified and fixed.

When ISC does recommend an upgrade, it will be for 700 MHz or above PowerPC G3s, G4s, or G5s that have at least 512 MB of RAM and at least 32 MB of VRAM. Please refer to ISC's Mac OS System Specifications to find out which versions of the Mac OS are recommended for your Macintosh computer. The full install of Mac OS X version 10.4 uses at least 2.5 gigabytes of hard disk space (4.0 gigabytes if you install the developer tools), depending on the type of Macintosh and choices made during the install.

Issues

There are a number of known issues with Mac OS X version 10.4 'Tiger', several of which are especially relevant to Penn's Macintosh users:

• Since this update includes a significant revision to the file structure of the OS itself (to incorporate meta-data searching), we anticipate that there may be problems with the current crop of disk utilities. Because of this, ISC strongly recommends that you wait until further testing determines which utilities will and will not work with Tiger.
• Because of significant changes to iSync (now .Mac sync), users will need to do a full synchronization of their handhelds and other synchronized devices before upgrading. Once the upgrade has been completed and everything has been configured, they should be able to synchronize as normal.
• The current version of Norton AntiVirus for Mac OS X does not function correctly with Mac OS X 10.4. Symantec expects to release a 10.4-compatible version of Symantec AntiVirus sometime in May, 2005.
• The Network Applications Installer on PennConnect 2005 installs correctly, but, as stated above, Norton AntiVirus does not function correctly. ISC will release a Mac OS X 10.4-specific Network Applications Installer as soon as possible.
• Several applications, noteably Now Up-to-Date and Retrospect Server do not work properly in Mac OS X 10.4. Expect updates from these vendors shortly.
• Mac OS X 10.4 does not include any version of Mac OS 9, though it will function correctly with a previously installed version of Mac OS 9 such as Mac OS 9.2.2.
• The Missing Sync for Pocket PC (version 1.0.4) does not work with Mac OS X 10.4's iSync. MarkSpace will be releasing an updated version ($19.99 for current users) shortly after the release of 10.4. See the MarkSpace's Tiger support page for more information.

How to get it

The full version of Mac OS X version 10.4 'Tiger' is available from the Computer Connection for $69 (educational pricing), but may not be available for much longer as Mac OS 10.5 Leopard has now been released.

What's new in Mac OS X version 10.4

Version 10.4 has an extensive list of improvements and new features (more than 200). A complete list is available from Apple. Apple has a good comparison list of the feature differences between 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4 here. Below are a list of changes that may be of interest to the Penn community:

1) Spotlight

The biggest feature upgrade to OS X is the tighter integration of search technology to every portion of the OS. Apple is touting a new desktop search technology, Spotlight, as a way to instantly find anything on your computer. This search technology provides content based search results from files, folders, and documents as well as Mail messages, Address Book contacts, iCal calendars, System Preferences, and applications. Spotlight searches through the "meta-data" contained in files (including Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop documents), with the ability to save results of a search as a "smart folder" that automatically updates based on current files or documents that match the search criteria.

2) Mail

As with most Apple applications in Mac OS 10.4, Mail uses Spotlight to create 'smart' mailboxes which automatically fill with mail based on criteria that the user specifies. Mail isn't actually moved to these mailboxes, rather, in a way similar to smart playlists in iTunes, pointers to the original messages are created. This release of Mail also allows the resizing of outgoing images, and let users know how big a message will be before sending.

3) Voice Over

Voice Over provides a spoken language interface for visual or learning impaired users. This application provides users with a screen reader, allowing end users to follow audio cues to control the computer and applications using the keyboard.

4) Automator

Apple is billing Automator as "your Personal Automation Assistant". It makes creating an AppleScript to perform repetitive tasks as easy as dragging and dropping actions that link with a specific workflow. Tiger is shipping with a library of hundreds of predefined actions for its built in applications, which can be expanded by downloading new modules, or creating your own using AppleScript.

5) Dashboard

This new HTML, JavaScript, and CSS based application gives the user access to 'widgets' (small, lightweight applications) that provide access to highly customizable information. These widgets can gather information real-time from the internet or from locally housed information. There is a semi-transparant layer that houses the widgets. Showing and hiding currently running widgets is quick-key configurable.

6) Safari

The biggest change to Safari is the new ability to recognize Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds and aggregate them into a single window. If a user visits a page that has an RSS feed, Safari will notify them and give them the opportunity to subscribe to the page. Safari's RSS reader is compatible with RSS 0.9, RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0, and Atom.

Other changes to Safari include an archiving feature allows users to save web pages including links and images, and the ability to view PDF's inline on the page without having to download the file.

7) QuickTime 7

QuickTime 7, included in Tiger, now fully supports the H.264 video standard (also known as MPEG-4 Part 10). This protocol allows for higher quality video at lower data transfer rates, scalable anywhere from 3G handhelds up to HD.

8) .Mac sync

.Mac syncing has been removed from iSync and moved to System Preferences as it's own syncing engine. While added functionality gives the user the added ability to sync Keychain and Mail account settings (rules, Smart Mailboxes, and account information), the user is required to have a .Mac annual subscription.

- Robert L. DeSilets, Jr., John Mulhern III and Vern Yoneyama, ISC Technology Support Services
- Special thanks to Larry Macy, Systems Administrator, School of Medicine, for his extensive contributions to this article.